Best Vector Drawing Apps For iPad

Vector drawing is a complicated and yet interesting way to draw graphics. The apps listed here show the best, most feature-rich apps that have vector drawing capabilities. They are for both beginners and experts alike. These apps do not disappoint when it comes to functionality and features.

Essential Apps

Inkpad

Right off the bat I loved this app. Inkpad is one of those apps that makes you say, “Wow, why can’t all apps be this well thought out?” Being a recent addition to the vector drawing app party, Inkpad has much to offer in the functionality and UI department. Inkpad truly feels like an Adobe Illustrator Lite. It has many of the same functions as Adobe's offering. Inkpad has the ability to draw vectors, add anchor points to vectors, add shapes and pictures, and even has a dropper tool. However, the real story here is how Inkpad manipulates what you add to the canvas. Here you can group objects, align them to a location on the canvas, flip objects around, and mask objects. The app also has the best implementation of layers that I have seen on the iPad. Now of course, other apps have some of these features as well, but the ease of accessing the listed functions is easier in Inkpad than in any competing app. Finally, after you are done with your drawing, you can export it to Dropbox. Overall, Inkpad is the app to get if you are looking for a vector drawing app. That being said, one thing that I would like to see added is the ability to change unit scales (inches, px, feet, etc.), but other than that, it is near perfect, and at $2 you truly can’t go wrong.

iDesign

iDesign is probably the best app in the app store for vector drawing. The simplicity of the UI is a huge part what makes this app stand out from the others. Within minutes, I learned how the app worked and was drawing shapes and vectors like a crazed maniac. iDesign uses a graph background by default which makes drawing shapes accurate and easy. iDesign also gives you the ability to do scale drawings. This means that if you want to map out the furniture in a room in units of feet, then you can do so by changing a simple setting. Of course, the drawings in iDesign can be exported in a variety of formats. And, it's a universal app, so you can create drawings on the go using your iPhone/iPod touch if you'd like.

TouchDraw

TouchDraw is a full-featured vector drawing app that has many uses. Of course it has the ability to draw vectors and other geometrical shapes, but what makes this app interesting is the vast amount of adjustments that you can make to your drawings. TouchDraw also supports layers similar to iDraw. It also has the ability to reuse shapes that you have previously drawn, which adds a nice professional touch. TouchDraw can also group objects and display your masterpiece on an external screen using the VGA adapter. Overall, TouchDraw is one of the best vector apps. It has many professional features, making this app a highly recommended one.

Notable Apps

neu.Draw

neu.Draw is an excellent option for vector drawing if you are looking for a free option. It supports many features of other apps in this guide such as freehand drawing, shapes, curves, snap to grid, grouping and alignment. neu.Draw exports to either a SVG, PDF, PNG or JPEG file format and can even post files directly to twitter using TwitPic. It’s hard not to recommend neu.Draw. In addition to the fact that I couldn't find any significant shortcomings, the app is free, so nothing should be holding you back from downloading neu.Draw right now.

Intaglio Sketchpad

Intaglio Sketchpad is one of those apps that just works. With an interface that is nearly identical to the iWork apps for the iPad, this app truly illustrates the meaning of usability. Intaglio Sketchpad can do standard things like draw shapes such as circles, lines and a variety of polygons. It can also be set to different unit scales (inches, px, feet, etc.). There is support for smart guides and layers and it can even do clipping masks. One big advantage of this app is the variety of formats it can export your creations into. Among these is an svg which is a standard for vector drawing apps on the desktop, this allows for two way editing with apps such as Illustrator or the Intaglio Mac App. Unfortunately this app has two disadvantages. First the price at $15 is a bit high. Although the quality of the app fits the price there are many cheaper alternatives that are out there. Luckily there is a lite version, so you can try before you buy. Second, two finger scrolling on the canvas can be a bit of a drag. Although it may seem like a petty detail, you would be surprised how annoying scrolling can get because of the zoom feature which also uses two fingers to work. Overall, Intaglio Sketchpad is a pretty great app. But at a price of $15, you may want to look elsewhere.

iDraw

At first glance, iDraw has the look of a watered down Adobe Illustrator. However, while simple-looking, this vector drawing app is quite powerful and has quite a few nifty features to it as well. To start with, iDraw has the typical features of a drawing app which include a brush, pencil, shape and text tool. It has support for layers and grouping of objects on the canvas. The brush tool included is a very cool addition because it draws in a calligraphy style that is both pleasing to the eye as well as useful for those calligraphy experts. What sets this app apart from others of its caliber is its ability to draw with vectors. While I am not great at using this tool with any app I found iDraw's implementation to be simple and usable in a way that I even figured out how to draw a few simple things. Overall iDraw is a great vector drawing app with many extras that make it a very capable app if you want to create art on your iPad.

Decent Apps

Freeform - The Vector Drawing App

Freeform is a vector drawing app that gets to the point. The interface is simply a canvas with a sidebar of drawing tools and a top bar with other options. That's it. To be honest, there is not much to say about it. Freeform - The Vector Drawing App is a good, solid option for those who want a simple way of getting drawings done.

Crayons - Vector Drawing

Crayons is perhaps the most basic vector drawing app in the App Store. This app is centered specifically around vectors, and that's it. Although there are ways to draw other shapes such as circles, squares and lines; there is no way to actually manipulate the objects well on the canvas. Overall, the features aren't as vast as in other the apps mentioned. Crayons does have support for layers, but after using it a little while, I can say with confidence that this app is geared more towards beginners.